Alameda County Goods Movement Planning for Health

Ditching Dirty Diesel Collaborative (a fiscally sponsored project of the San Francisco Study Center); Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment; Alameda County Public Health

Through a grant to the San Francisco Study Center, the Ditching Dirty Diesel Collaborative conducted an HIA to inform development of long-range strategies for moving goods efficiently, reliably, and sustainably within, to, from, and through the county by road, rail, air, and water to be included in the final freight component of the Alameda County Transportation Commission’s Alameda County Goods Movement Plan. The HIA addressed the risk of chronic illnesses, such as asthma and cardiovascular disease, associated with freight transportation and diesel pollution, among other factors, in vulnerable low-income communities adjacent to freeways, designated truck routes, ports, rail yards, warehouses, and distribution centers. (This project is supported by funding from the California Endowment.)

Outcome

As a result of the HIA and the San Francisco Study Center’s thorough engagement with the commission, the freight transportation plan was strengthened to emphasize health as a primary objective and to prioritize investments in remediation to benefit communities most burdened by freight transportation. The commission has said it will adopt the plan. In addition, the chair proposed and the commission unanimously passed a companion resolution that translates many of the HIA recommendations into policy actions.

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